After such a poignant experience having seen the Oklahoma City National Memorial and much discussion we figured if we had another opportunity to get back to see the museum we would make the drive.
After the ice storm and subsequent snowfall work was called off for Tracey for the weekend. The roads weren't too terrible plus we had our 4WD Tahoe that Tracey had driven up in. It warmed up a bit so we hopped in the truck and headed north again. This time, the memorial was snowy and the sky crystal blue. It was gorgeous!
I had a pretty nasty cold setting in but I didn't want to miss the museum. I stuffed a couple packets of tissues into my pockets and onward we went.
I didn't take a lot of pictures inside the museum itself. It just didn't seem like the thing to do at the time plus I was trying to keep my nose somewhat clear. It was hard in such an emotional place and y'all know I'm a tender-heart.
The tour starts with background info about the Alfred P. Murrah building, the building's site, the types of business being conducted here, and various pictures from within the different offices and the daycare center. Next you move into a room that is set up as the office of the water control commission or something similar to that. This office was in a building adjacent to the federal building. It looks just like the room the hearing that was playing from speakers around the room would've looked like. You sit and hear an actual recording of people conducting this hearing...very dull and uninteresting...then you hear the explosion as it was recorded when it happened. The doors open and you move into the next room which is the direct aftermath.
The next room has an exposed beam overhead that is in it's actual condition following the explosion. The museum building is 2 buildings away from where the federal building was. There are displays all around of pictures and vignettes of the direct aftermath. There are piles of shoes including children's little shoes, watches (all stopped just after 9 am), pieces of office equipment, someone's daily planner, structural pieces such as doors, etc. etc. displayed and clearly labeled. So many of the personal stories of the victims and survivors accompany each item, their owner, if known, identified and stated as survivor or victim. There's a dress displayed, it had a simple tear in the skirting, that was worn by a woman conducting a meeting at the time of the explosion. Every one of her employees sitting before her in that meeting were victims. She was the lone survivor from that room.
All around you SEE the devastation. But that's not all. You HEAR radio transmissions of frantic police officers, firemen, EMS workers, etc. calling to their dispatchers over the radio. The radio traffic really got my attention. I am a former law enformcement dispatch supervisor. I worked thru Hurricane Katrina. I've handled shootings, explosions, disasters, pursuits, officers down, all those things via radio. I've heard those voices. I've heard panic. I've heard screams. I've been the calm voice of reassurance. I couldn't leave that room until I heard every word and comprehended it. That's what my job was. That's what I did. It brought back a lot of memories and emotions. I think it was good to do that. There's some stuff others may think I'd be better off forgetting but I never want to. It's important.
So into the next room and beyond you see displays, different vignettes, videos, etc. showing the aftermath of the bombing as it progressed. It's like a living timeline. There are a few booths set up to go and search databases and hear the stories of the survivors and the rescue workers. There's nothing like hearing the stories told by the people who lived it.
The living timeline progresses thru until the last survivor was found and the last days of recovering remains of those lost. There's videos everywhere of families who waited to find out if their loved one had been found and what that was like for them. All through these displays the way the city and nation came together to begin the healing process was carefully interwoven. I felt it very uplifting to see how people came together. And good. It helps to move souls forward.
The timeline continues as you see the investigation begin. Pieces of evidence, parts of the moving truck, are displayed. Information about Timothy McVeigh and his co-conspirators is given in a thorough, concise manner. You follow along through the displays and information from the investigation to arrests to trial and beyond. Plenty of info is also presented in how the survivors and family members of the victims fought and changed legislation to protect THEIR rights, the survivor's rights. It's truly a fascinating story to behold.
And then there is the hall for the victims. Each and every one of the 168 victims of this terrorist act have their picture displayed in the back of a clear, acrylic box. Each of the victim's boxes holds mementos left by the victim's families. You see family names reoccur as you realize husbands and wives or little siblings perrished together that day. Think about how many times you've run one of those aggravating little errands to a courthouse or government office with your significant other. The most poignant of these photos w/mementos for me was that of a toddler. Such a beautiful child. In the box was just a pacifier. That was all. Both my boys were pacifier babies. I lost it completely. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child in such a violent manner. I imagine that mother leaving her baby a pacifier, some little piece of comfort for the journey home. I imagine anyone could walk thru and look at these displays and find one that hits home whether you actually know anyone there or not.
The tour and displays end by reiterating that we should never forget. The only pictures I took from inside the building were of one of the last displays where you see a sealed off room that sits exactly as it did after the explosion. Remember, this was a few buildings down from the federal building. Following the explosion the room was photographed then sealed off, the building remained vacant for a long time. This room is EXACTLY as it was following the bombing:
We signed the guest book & made a donation to the foundation for education before heading out. We left with a definite sense of having experienced something truly important. The boys certainly learned a lot.
On the way back to our truck I took a few more pics. I feel like they sum up what we saw very well.
Here is a message left behind by a search and rescue team near the location where they set up base during their efforts. It reads:
Team 5
4-19-95
We search for the truth.
We seek justice.
The courts require it.
The victims cry for it.
And GOD demands it.
Adjacent to this wall there is an old tree that has been in this location since well before the Alfred P. Murrah building was ever constructed. It survived and thus is the survivor's tree. I had no idea how this pic would turn out. I took these with my iPhone and I was blinded by the sun. They're perfect.
And one last look back at the memorial.
We will never forget.
-KOS
